The present invention relates to a device for closing the door of an electric household appliance, in particular a dishwasher, and of the type controlling a switch controlling operation of the device.
Dishwasher doors, as described for example in British Patent n. 1464070, are known to comprise a rotary latch loaded by a return spring and which, when the door is closed, engages a catch integral with the appliance body, and, when the user pulls on the door by means of a handle, rotates about its hinge to release the catch. To stop the dishwasher (in particular, the water pump) automatically when the door is opened, and so prevent injury to the user, British Patent n. 1464070 features an independent control lever, which must be activated by the user to gain access to the door handle, and which acts on a switch in the circuit powering the dishwasher pump. To be opened, the door calls for the user employing both hands, and, though effective in terms of user safety, is obviously awkward to use. A more straightforward, easy-to-use device ensuring the same degree of safety is therefore desirable.
Devices are also known in which the latch is connected directly to the control lever cooperating with the switch acting on the dishwasher supply circuit; and, when the door is opened, rotation of the latch also moves the control lever which acts on the switch. Known devices of this type, however, have a serious drawback: the direct connection between the latch and the control lever is such that the action of the control lever on the switch is delayed with respect to the movement of the latch, so that the dishwasher is stopped when the door has already started to open, thus endangering the user. Whereas it would be more desirable to cut off the circuit as soon as the door starts to open. This problem is partly solved in European patent Application EP-A-0727178, but only at the expense of a relatively complex mechanism which is difficult to produce and assemble.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for closing the door of an electric household appliance, and designed to eliminate the aforementioned drawbacks of known devices. In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide a device which ensures a high degree of user safety, while at the same time being easy to use and cheap and easy to produce.
The present invention therefore related to a device for closing the door of an electric household appliance in particular a dishwasher.
The device according to the invention is fully effective in ensuring the safety of the user, while at the same time being easy to use and cheap and easy to produce. In particular, the actuating means act immediately on the switch controlling operation of the dishwasher, as soon as the latch begins to release the catch.